Raphael Varane leaves French national team at 29 years old

Raphael Varane has announced the end of his international career with France, with whom he won the 2018 World Cup and reached the final in Qatar last year, in what will be his last international match.

"The time has come for a new generation to take over," the 29-year-old said in a farewell message on the social network Instagram.

The French press claims that the Manchester United player intends to slow down, and devote more time to his family. 

After Benzema, Lloris and Mandanda, Varane is the fourth player to leave the French national team after the World Cup in Qatar. The defender has spent more than ten years with the tricolor, making 93 international appearances and winning two titles, the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 Nations League.

This is the full statement from the former Real Madrid player in his accounts, where he explains the reasons for his farewell.

"Representing our great country for a decade has been one of the greatest honours of my life. Every time I wore this special blue jersey, I felt immense pride. The duty to give everything, to play our hearts out and to win every time we take the field. I've been considering it for several months and I've decided that it's the right time to retire from international football. 

"As a child, I remember following France 98, this national team, these players who gave us indescribable emotions. I dreamed of doing like our heroes and, 20 years later, I had one of the best experiences of my life, one that made me very proud. We brought the Cup home! I will never forget it. I still feel every single emotion I felt that day, 15 July 2018. It was one of the greatest and most memorable moments of my life."

"This victory that we achieved together would never have been possible without the support of Didier Deschamps, of each of the members of the management and our staff over the years, of my teammates who defended our jersey in each of our matches. But more importantly, this victory would not have been possible without the support of each and every one of you along the way. Your enthusiasm, the celebrations, and the memories of our return to France will remain etched in my mind forever. Even after last year's final defeat, certainly, with a great run, we were greeted like heroes when we returned. 

"To each and every one of you, a thousand times THANK YOU! I will surely miss these moments with you, but the time has come for the new generation to take over. We have a group of talented young players who are ready to take over, who deserve a chance and who need you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you".